What happens if a board mounted with capacitors is dropped?

When handling a board mounted with capacitors, firmly hold the edges of the board with both hands to prevent it from bending or dropping. If a board is dropped, cracks may occur in the capacitors. Do not use dropped boards, as there is a possibility that the quality of the capacitors may be impaired.

How should a ceramic capacitor be handled?

When handling ceramic capacitors, it is important to minimize abrasion and mechanical shock. Taped and reeled components are ideal for direct presentation to the placement machine. Minimize mechanical shock during handling, especially for chip multilayer ceramic capacitors.

How to connect battery-mounted capacitors?

Battery-mounted capacitors should be connected by means of flexible cables or by braids. Thin-film and some small passive components can exhibit sensitivity to Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). ESD charge/discharge voltage can exceed tenth of kilo-Volts and the ESD typical charge current can be around 1 to 10A in many cases.

Why do ceramic capacitors fail?

Ceramic capacitors are prone to failure due to their brittle nature and lack of compliant leads. The most common failure mode is a low DC resistance or short circuit. Another failure mode is significant loss of capacitance caused by the severing of contact between sets of the internal electrodes.

Can MLCC capacitors be cleaned?

Cleaning MLCC capacitors can cause a crack in the capacitor or its solder joints to the board, leading to degradation in the terminal strength. To avoid this, the following cleaning conditions are recommended: The most commonly recommended ultrasonic frequency is 40 kHz for MLCC capacitors.

Is it safe to short-circuit a high voltage capacitor?

It is advisable to short-circuit the connections of high voltage capacitors (over 120V) after their use under D.C. voltage, as short-circuiting them during handling operations might be dangerous due to the residual charge.